Santa Fe, NM Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SFCC 1987 § 14-11.4(A)(2)(h), (C)(2)
- First offense fine
- $100
- Second offense fine
- $250
- Third+ offense fine
- $500
- Look-back window
- 36 consecutive months
- Repeat-violator penalty
- 1-year permit application wait
- Appeal deadline
- 15 days to request hearing
Summary
Santa Fe escalates civil fines for repeat short-term rental violations to $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second, and $500 for a third or later offense within any 36-month period, and can bar a repeat violator from a new permit for one year under Section 14-11.4.
(h)order a one (1)-year waiting period for application for a short-term rental permit by a person who has operated a short-term rental unit in violation of the short-term rental ordinance, subsection 14-6.2(A)(5), or has failed to pay or report taxes on the short-term rental unit as required by law. ... (2)Civil Fine Schedule. Each act subject to a civil fine constitutes a separate civil violation. For violations that can be remedied within one day, each day after receipt of notice of violation constitutes a separate civil violation. A civil violation shall subject the applicant, permittee, owner, operator of a short-term rental unit, and/or tenant, as applicable, to the following civil fines for violations during any consecutive thirty-six (36)-month period: (a)a civil fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the first offense; (b)a civil fine of two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00) for the second offense; and (c)a civil fine of five hundred dollars ($500.00) for the third and subsequent offenses.
Full Breakdown
4(C). Under (C)(1), the director may assess a civil fine for violating any provision of Chapter 14, for renting a short-term rental unit without a permit or registration, for material misrepresentation on an application, or for failing to pay or report fees or taxes owed. Subsection (C)(2) sets the escalating fine schedule for violations 'during any consecutive thirty-six (36)-month period': $100 for the first offense, $250 for the second, and $500 for the third and subsequent offenses, with each day a continuing violation goes uncorrected after notice counting as a separate offense.
The planning and land use department issues a written civil citation stating whether it is a first, second or third-plus offense, and the cited party has fifteen days to pay or request a hearing before a city-appointed hearing officer, with a further appeal to the First Judicial District Court under Rule 1-074 NMRA if the hearing officer denies relief. Revenue from these fines is retained by the planning and land use department specifically for land use code enforcement, not the general fund.
Violations & Fines
A first short-term rental violation in a 36-month window draws a $100 civil fine; a second draws $250; a third or any later violation in that window draws $500 per act, with continuing violations accruing a new offense each day after notice. Beyond the fines, a host found to have operated in violation of subsection 14-6.2(A)(5) or to have failed to pay/report lodgers' tax faces a mandatory one-year wait before the land use director will accept a new short-term rental permit application, and the director may separately withhold or revoke the existing permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Santa Fe's civil fines for repeat short-term rental violations?
Can Santa Fe block a repeat violator from getting a new short-term rental permit?
How does a Santa Fe short-term rental host appeal a civil citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Fe
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